A wheelchair lift is now available to help people with limb disabilities to climb up the Wumen Gate, a 37.95-meter high entrance gate to the south of the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Beijing Youth Daily reported on September 16.

Many similar devices are located along the Forbidden City's central axis.  Lifts have been installed near the terrace of the three major halls in the Outer Court where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation and near the terrace of the three major palaces inside the Inner Court where the emperor resided with his royal family. Thanks to this convenient equipment, disabled tourists may now enjoy a truly barrier-free tour.

"First, lock the wheels. Then, press the button," a staff member instructed Lv Zhengming, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of the Beijing Disabled Persons Federation. He came to inspect the wheelchair lift as part of the Beijing-Shanghai Joint Inspection Group. The delegation checked the availability of accessible facilities in the Forbidden City last Saturday.

Following instructions, Lv wheeled his chair onto the lift and locked the wheels carefully. When he pressed the button, the wheelchair was secured tightly. Next, the lift went into action. In only 10 minutes, it carried Lv up to the top of the Wumen Gate. This lift is also capable of sliding down gradient passages.

After the Wumen tour, the inspection group visited the three major halls along a barrier-free avenue. "The barrier-free avenue starts from the south gate and ends in the north. It extends one kilometer along the central axis, linking all the major halls and palaces of the Forbidden City. All the doorsills on the way are easily removed. This permits disabled tourists to enjoy a truly barrier-free tour now," said Yan Hongbin, publicity director of the Forbidden City.

Under the terrace of three major halls, there are two wheelchair lifts with belt drive mechanisms. Only specially trained volunteers are allowed to operate the lifts.

"Relax," a volunteer said as he tried to comfort Xu Shanming, a member of the inspection group sitting in his chair in front the stone stairs of the palace terrace. Xu looked very nervous as he was carried up by the lift with his back against the palace. The volunteer urged Xu to lean against the chair and calm down.

Xu's little adventure attracted many tourists. A disabled British lady even took a try herself when she happened to pass by.

A specially designed map earmarking accessible facilities and routes for the disabled will be available soon, Forbidden City authorities said.

(China.org.cn by Chen Xia, September 18, 2007)